The present invention relates to automatic communication systems, and more specifically, but not exclusively, relates to the communication of agent status at a customer contact processing center.
Automatic call distribution (ACD) systems are used in a wide variety of situations such as for telemarketing, customer service and sales. In one common arrangement, calling customers are placed in a queue by the ACD to await the next available agent. This delay can frustrate a customer. This frustration can be heightened by the customer not knowing when they will be able to talk to an agent. Also, if the customer is able to select a specific customer agent, the customer can become frustrated when the selected agent is unavailable because the customer does not know whether the agent is on another line, away from the phone, on vacation, at lunch, or not able to answer the call for other reasons. By not having enough information about the status of the agent, a customer""s ability to decide whether to contact a different agent, leave a voice message, or try to call the agent later can be hampered. This lack of knowledge on the part of the customer leads to frustration, and creates a general negative impression of the organization. This customer dissatisfaction in the long term may lead to reduced sales for an organization. Therefore, there has been a long felt need to supply customers with information about their phone calls.
Attempts have been made to provide customers with additional information such as wait time for the next available agent. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,032 to Bateman et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,762 to Sonesh et al., both disclose communication systems in which a customer is supplied the wait time for a particular group of agents. However, in both systems a customer must place a call to receive a wait time. These systems do give the customer the ability to decide when to call the processing center. If an agent in a queue is available, the customer will be automatically connected to the agent. The customer may not want to talk with the agent at that time, and may merely want to know whether a particular agent is on vacation. In addition, such systems do not give the customer the ability to track specific agents or a group of specific agents (such as a marketing group).
Thus, there remains a need for improved techniques to obtain and update the status of one or more persons with whom it is desired to establish communications.
One form of the present invention is a unique communication system. Other forms include unique apparatus and methods for communicating information over a computer network. Another form of the present invention includes operating a first computer configured to store a status indication for each of a number of different agents at a customer contact processing center. The first computer is coupled to a second computer by a computer network. The second computer is remotely located relative to the first computer at a customer site. A customer at the customer site makes a selection of at least one of the agents. The method further includes receiving from the second computer an input corresponding to the selection. Furthermore, the method includes providing the status indication for the at least one of the agents from the first computer to the second computer, and updating the status indication provided to the second computer for the at least one of the agents from time to time in response to the receipt of the selection. This update can be automatically performed.
Another form of the present invention includes a means for storing the status indication for each of a number of different agents at a customer contact processing center. This form further includes a means for receiving across a computer network an input corresponding to a selection of at least one of the agents by a customer from a computer remotely located at a customer site. Also included is a means for providing the status indication for at least one of the agents from the means for storing to the computer located at the customer site, and a means for updating the status indication provided to the second computer for the at least one of the agents from time to time.
In yet another form, a computer readable device is encoded with a program executable by a first computer for a customer contact processing center which communicates over a computer network to maintain a status indication for each of a number of different agents at a customer contact processing center and to receive over the computer network an input corresponding to a selection of at least one of the agents by a customer on a second computer located at a remote customer site. The program is further executable by the first computer to provide the status indication to the second computer in response to the selection, and update the status indication provided to the second computer for the at least one of the agents from time to time.
In still yet another form, the present invention includes a customer computer, a computer network, and a customer contact processing computer. The customer contact processing computer is coupled to the customer computer by the computer network. The customer contact processing computer includes a storage unit to store a status indication for each of the agents. The customer contact processing computer is responsive to an input from the customer computer over the computer network corresponding to a selection of at least one of the agents by a customer operating the customer computer. The customer contact processing computer transmits over the computer network the status indication from the storage unit to the customer computer. The customer contact processing computer updates the status indication transmitted to the customer computer from time to time.
Further objects, features, advantages, and aspects of the present invention shall become apparent from the detailed drawings and descriptions contained herein.